A former Speaker of the B.C. legislature says he doesn’t recall being worried about a conflict of interest after he took guidance from the same lawyer who gave a former clerk advice about a retirement payment that’s at the centre of a breach-of-trust trial.
Martland said James’s lawyer advised that his client and three other senior employees of the legislature could get the retirement payout, and that James then recommended that Barisoff also seek advice from the same lawyer.“Not that I can remember,” Barisoff replied. But Martland wondered how the committee could have given him advice because it wasn’t sitting at that time.Barisoff said he talked to members of the committee individually, adding he did not have any recollection of speaking with anyone in particular and he had nothing in writing.“I don’t recall ever doing that,” said Barisoff, who was Speaker from 2005 to 2013.
Barisoff told Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes that he had no relationship with James outside of the legislature and never went to the home of the former clerk, who he described as the CEO of building operations and the grounds.
Grifters in politics again!